Antimutagenic Potential of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera) Fruit Aqueous Extract in Suppressing Induced Mutagenesis and Purification of its Bioactive Constituent

Abstract

Date palm fruit aqueous extract was found to display strong antimutagenic activity against ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and mitomycin C induced mutagenesis, when analysed using E. coli RNA polymerase β based rifampicin resistance assay. However, the same aqueous extract did not show any significant antimutagenesis against ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS). Hence to further study the antimutagenic behaviour, the aqueous extract was purified to get the bioactive compound. Its 40% methanolic fraction (rich in phenolics) which displayed strong antimutagenicity against mitomycin C was further purified by HPLC and most potent peak P8 was obtained at 43min retention time. When E. coli cells were exposed to mitomycin C in the presence of this P8 compound, it showed differential regulation of some proteins, as observed in SDS-PAGE. Further, the study was extended to mammalian system using TK6 human lymphoblast cell line, where the compound P8 was found to display 40% antimutagenicity against mitomycin C induced mutation at thymidine kinase 1 (tk1) locus. Thus the findings indicate that purified bioactive P8 from date palm has the capacity to combat induced mutagenesis across the system indicating its nutraceutical potential.